Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson planted his flag as a rap superstar when he introduced himself to mainstream America with the Get Rich or Die Tryin’ album. Seventeen years after the LP hit the streets, the Hip Hop classic still resonates with generations of fans.
50 Cent’s major-label debut hosts the #1 singles “In da Club” and “21 Questions.” However, it was another cut off Get Rich or Die Tryin’ that became a favorite for contemporary rappers. “Many Men (Wish Death)” is having its biggest year since its release in 2003.
Pop Smoke’s album, Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon, includes the song “Got It on Me” which interpolates 50 Cent’s “Many Men.” Plus, 21 Savage sampled the record for his own Savage Mode II joint project with Metro Boomin.
Spotify’s Head of Urban Music, Carl Chery, interviewed 50 Cent for the streaming service’s RapCaviar. Chery and 50 discussed the impact the Gold-certified song has had on modern-day Hip Hop.
“Yes, they made it that for me. The younger artists doing it over, they made it that,” 50 told Chery when asked if “Many Men” was the most influential song of 2020. He added, “You can’t make a person decide to write a song. It’s influenced by a song. Creatively, it’s them going, ‘You know what? This is how I feel right now.'”
Get Rich or Die Tryin’ debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart by selling 872,000 copies in its first week. It closed out 2003 by sitting atop the Billboard 200 Year-End chart. The album went on to earn 9x-Platinum status in the United States.
